1. Earth & Our
Solar System

2. Menu Recap of KS3 Neptune The Solar System Pluto The Sun Asteroids
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Asteroids
Meteorites
Comets
Solar System, Galaxies & The Universe
Gravity
Satellites
Red Shift
The Life Cycle of a Star

3. Recap of KS3 Earth in Space

4. A Day is the time for one spin

5. What keeps the moon in orbit around the Earth?
GRAVITY

6. The axis of the earth is tilted.
The Earth is divided up into the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere:
The axis of the earth is tilted.
This gives us Seasons
Equator

7. Autumn
Spring
Winter
Summer
Winter
Summer
Spring
Autumn

8. We see planets and the moon because they reflect sunlight:
The sun is different – it produces its own light.

9. The sun is different – it produces its own light.
We see stars because the light enters our eyes directly - Stars are luminous objects (planets are non- luminous).
The sun is different – it produces its own light.

10. Solar Systems, Galaxies and the Universe
OUR SUN is one of millions of stars that orbit the centre of…
THE MILKY WAY (which is one of a billion galaxies that orbit AND move away from the centre of…)
THE UNIVERSE

11. Europe From Space (Can you spot where you live?)

12. Where is This?

13. Asteroids have hit the Earth thousands of times in the past.
It wasn’t the Moon!
Asteroids have hit the Earth thousands of times in the past.
Did you know?- an asteroid the size of your local mountain killed the dinosaurs
Return to Menu

14. The Solar System

15. The Solar System Asteroids Meteorites and The Sun
comets Menu
The Sun
9 Planets (and their moons)

16. The Sun

17. The Sun Is a Star at the centre of the Solar System.
It is about 5 Billion years old
Diameter 1.4 million km
Core temperature 15 million oC
Return to Menu

18. Mercury

19. This is the nearest planet to the Sun
This is the nearest planet to the Sun. It moves faster through space than any other planet (Orbit = 88 days)
Rotates so slowly that its day is longer than its year!)
Has the most extreme temperature variations of any planet (from –183oC on its dark side to 427 oC on the sunlit side)
Mercury
Return to Menu

20. Venus

21. Venus Rocky planet and the second closest to the Sun Spins backwards
The brightest and hottest planet in the sky (Temps about 480 oC)
It ‘Rains’ sulphuric acid (the greenhouse effect ‘gone wild’)
Winds reach 360 km/hour
Return to Menu

22. Earth

23. Earth 3rd Rock from the Sun The only planet known to support life
Protective atmosphere blocks out harmful radiation
70% covered by water
4.5 billion years old
We travel through space at a speed of 108,000 km/h
Return to Menu

24. Mars

25. Mars Known as the Red Planet
Has the largest volcano in the solar system at 27km high!
Has 2 small moons
Rotation of 24.5 hours
Atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide
This is the first picture that has been sent back from the surface of another planet
Mars
Return to Menu

26. Jupiter

27. Largest planet in the Solar System (300 times bigger than Earth)
28 moons
It is a gas planet and has no solid surface
Has a giant storm -the ‘Red Spot’ with 250 mph winds (twice the size of Earth)
Jupiter is SO big, all of the other planets could fit into it!
Jupiter
Return to Menu

28. Saturn

29. A Gas planet
Famous for its rings (made from rocks & ice particles)
At least 30 moons
Its winds blow in different directions but can reach 1,500 km/h
Saturn is less dense than water. This means it will float on water!
Saturn

30. Which Is Your Favourite?
Saturn is pretty cool!!!!
Menu

31. Uranus

32. Uranus Third largest planet
Blue/ green colour due to traces of methane in the atmosphere
The only planet to spin on its side
11 rings
21 moons
Another gas planet
Return to Menu

33. Neptune

34. Neptune Has the fastest winds in the solar system (up to 2,000 km/h)
8 moons
Triton is the coldest object in the solar system with a temperature of – 235 oC
Return to Menu

35. Pluto

36. Pluto Smallest planet in the Solar System Farthest from the Sun
Only discovered in 1930
The surface temperature is so cold (-220 oC) that even the atmosphere freezes
It takes 248 years to orbit the Sun
Return to menu

37. Asteroids

38. Asteroids are material left over from the formation of the Solar System
They vary in size from a pebble to 1,000km in diameter
They are found mainly in the Asteroid Belt that lies between Mars & Jupiter
Some Asteroids are so big – they have their own moons
Asteroids
Menu

39. Meteorites

40. Meteorites Meteorites travel at 9 times the speed of a bullet
When they reach our atmosphere they ‘burn up’ because of the friction and the presence of oxygen in our atmosphere.
Menu

41. Comets

42. Comets A comet is simply a dirty snowball made from dust and ice
Comets range in size from between 1km to 10 km.
Once the Solar System would have swarmed with comets. Now they only visit us occasionally.
Usually found in the Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud
Menu

43. The Solar System, Galaxies & The Universe

44. Solar Systems, Galaxies and the Universe
OUR SUN is one of millions of stars that orbit the centre of…
THE MILKY WAY (which is one of a billion galaxies that orbit AND move away from the centre of…)
THE UNIVERSE
Menu

45. Gravity

46. The Earth Is Kept In Orbit By The Force Of…
Gravity
(…and by the fact that is is moving at a high velocity)

47. Gravity (in Detail)
The amount of gravity attracting an object decreases the further out the object is…
If you double the distance the gravitational force divides by 4
If you triple the distance the force divides by 9
F/9
Menu

48. Satellites

49. Satellites All satellites need two things in order to stay in orbit:
A satellite is anything that orbits something else. The Earth has a natural satellite (– the moon). The Earth has hundreds of artificial satellites orbiting around it.
All satellites need two things in order to stay in orbit:
Gravity
High speed

50. What Can We Use Satellites For?
1) Observation (e.g. Hubble Space Telescope) – these are in orbit high above the Earth and can observe the universe without interference by the atmosphere.
It can take pictures like this….. Each swirl (and there are LOTS in this picture) is a GALAXY!

51. 2) Communications (e.g. TV, phone, car navigational systems) – these satellites are in “geostationary” orbits. This means that the satellite always stays above the same point on the Earth.

52. 3) Monitoring (e.g. weather, spy satellites) – these satellites have a “low polar” orbit and may scan around the Earth several times a day
Return to menu

53. Red Shift

54. If you pass the light through a gas something different is seen… It is called Absorption Spectra
This is the absorption spectrum from the Sun
Absorption spectra show which wavelengths of light are absorbed by the gas (this is how we know the sun is made of helium).

55. Light from stars and from the edge of the universe also shows this “REDSHIFT” which suggests that everything in the universe is moving away from a single point.
Big Bang Theory

56. REDSHIFT As Star moves away
We see the colours of the spectrum moving towards the wavelength of RED

57. Can you explain what each diagram is showing?B C
Return to menu

58. The Life Cycle of a Star

59. Stage 1 NEBULAE A nebula is a collection of dust, gas and rock.
A NEBULA is a collection of gas, dust and ice.

60. Stage 2 PROTOSTAR
As they move inwards their gravitational potential energy is converted into heat and a PROTOSTAR is formed
The force of gravity makes the dust particles come spiralling in together. As they do so their gravitational potential energy is converted into heat energy and the temperature rises…
This is a NEBULA Gravity will slowly pull these particles together…

61. Stage 3 MAIN SEQUENCE STAR (-Like Our Sun)
The attraction forces pulling the particles inwards are BALANCED by forces acting outwards (due to the huge temperatures inside the star).
Eventually the temperature rises enough for the hydrogen gas to undergo nuclear fusion. A massive amount of heat and light are given out and the star is stable for around 10,000 million years.
Stars are like nuclear reactors that use hydrogen as a fuel. During this time it releases energy.

62. Stage 4 RED GIANT
Eventually the hydrogen and helium will run out. When this happens the star will become colder and redder and start to swell…
…becomes a RED GIANT
Relatively small star (like our sun) ….
Eventually the hydrogen begins to run out and the star swells into a red giant. (At this point our sun will suck in Earth and the planets around it)
… becomes RED SUPERGIANT
Star 4 times size of our SUN…

63. Stage 5 The Star Dies
What happens at this point depends on the size of the star…
Red Giant
White Dwarf
Black Dwarf
For small stars the star will shrink into a WHITE DWARF and then it cools and fades to a BLACK DWARF (like a dying fire)

64. Supernova Red Supergiant
2) If the star becomes a RED SUPERGIANT it will shrink and then EXPLODE, releasing massive amounts of energy, dust and gas.
When a big star runs out of fuel it would collapse and blow off its outer layer in an enormous explosion called a SUPERNOVA (click to show picture)
Red Supergiant
Supernova

65. If the star is big enough it could become a BLACK HOLE.
The dust and gas on the outside of the supernova are thrown away by the explosion and the remaining core turns into a NEUTRON STAR.
If the star is big enough it could become a BLACK HOLE.
Neutron Star
The dust and gas on the outside of the supernova are thrown away by the explosion and the remaining core turns into a NEUTRON STAR. If the star is big enough it will become a BLACK HOLE. (The picture shows a black hole after forming in the middle of other stars)
Supernova
Black Hole

66. Stage 6 Second Generation Stars
Our sun is a “second generation star” because it contains heavier elements along with hydrogen and helium. These heavier elements would have been the products of a previous star that have been thrown out by a supernova. Heavy elements (such as GOLD) are also found on Earth.
The dust and gas thrown off by the supernova will form SECOND GENERATION stars (like our sun) and a new solar system
Just think! …….Next time you wear GOLD…….it was made in a Supernovae!!!
Return to Menu